Don't Bet the Castle
by Alyssa86InMN
Summary: Following their rogue mission in Los Angeles to solve the murder of Mike Royce, Castle and Beckett find themselves making an emergency landing in Las Vegas where they make a life-altering bet. NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: It's been a while since I've written anything and I've been working on this one for a long time now. The good news is that it is almost completely written (maybe a chapter or two left), so there won't be months-long waits in between chapters like I have been known to do. As always this is not beta-ed, but more edited than my usual stuff. Hope you enjoy!**

After packing up the last of her luggage, Kate heaves her rolling suitcase off the hotel bed and drags it into the living area of the suite that she reluctantly shared with her partner on her rogue mission to Los Angeles. She was grateful for Castle's help and support though as they solved the murder of her former training officer, Mike Royce. They made a good team and judging by the letter found on Royce's body, that was a fact obvious to many.

"Castle, you ready to go?" Kate called out.

"Yeah," Castle responds as he is exiting his room on his side of the suite, pulling his bags behind him.

"I swear you are bringing home twice as much as you brought."

"I have to bring back souvenirs, Beckett," Castle admonishes.

"No, you don't."

"You clearly do not know my mother."

Kate shakes her head and walks to the door. Castle follows.

Kate and Rick arrive at the airport and manage to make their way through security with surprising ease.

"I'm going to get a coffee, you want something?" Kate asks, motioning to the coffee shop near their departure gate.

"I can get it," Castle offers.

Kate holds out her hand to stop his trajectory toward the Starbucks. "I can get it this time, Castle. It's not like you haven't gotten me hundreds of coffees since we've known each other." Kate smirks. "Go grab a seat and I'll be over there in a second." Kate hands her carry-on over to him and joins the queue of her fellow caffeine junkies.

After procuring the two cups of coffee, Kate spots Castle sitting near a window with their luggage.

"I should have figured you'd want to see the planes taking off," Kate says teasingly, handing Castle his cup.

"It's one of the best parts of the airport. Alexis would always get so excited to see the planes when we'd visit her mother. We'd both be running back and forth in front of the windows to scope out the best view."

Kate smiles at the soft grin that graces Castle's face, the memories playing out right in front of them, but when Kate follows his gaze she only sees the plate glass windows.

She grabs Castle's hand and gives it a squeeze, turning his attention to her. "You're a good dad, Castle. Alexis is a lucky girl."

Castle smiles and squeezes her hand back. "Thanks, but she pretty much raised herself. I can't take credit for that. Alexis is a genetic anomaly. There is no way my second child will be as perfect."  
Kate knows Castle loves being a dad, but she didn't really expect him to mention a second child as though it were an inevitable. "You've thought about more kids?" she asks.

Castle meets her curious eyes and with a serious tone responds, "with the right woman, yes, I'd love to have more kids," he pauses, "have you ever considered having kids?"

Kate gives a noncommittal shrug and tries to hide her flushed reaction to his gaze. "It's crossed my mind. I guess I've been waiting for the right person too." The corners of Kate's mouth lift when she sees Castle's mouth doing the same. "Any more children you may have will be just as lucky as Alexis to have you as their father and I mean that, Rick." Still holding his hand, Kate gives it one last squeeze, heightening the already palpable tension between the two.

Castle breaks the mutual gaze when thoughts of Kate's current relationship status flashes through his mind and his desire to kiss her gets temporarily doused. He clears his throat and takes his hand back to look at his watch.

"Before we get on the plane, I should call my perfect daughter and let her know that we'll be home later today." Castle pulls out his phone and dials Alexis's number, eventually standing to talk to her while he leans against a window.

With Castle no longer next to her, Kate grabs her purse and slides her letter from Royce out of the front pocket. She flips it around and fidgets with it before finally opening it up again to read.

 _It's clear that you and Castle have something real._

 _You and Castle have something real._

 _You and Castle._

 _Castle._

Kate has her hand to her mouth, concealing the shy smile she is unaware she is making, when Castle returns, startling her. She stuffs the letter back in her purse, wrinkling it more than she wanted. Castle eyes her quick movement but doesn't press the matter and instead talks about the brief conversation he had with Alexis.

"Flight 827 for LaGuardia will now begin boarding passengers in first class."

"That's us," Castle says, standing and reaching for his carry-on.

"You upgraded me again without asking?"

"You are the only woman I know who would complain about being upgraded to first class."

Kate stands up and glares at him. "Castle, I am capable of purchasing my own plane ticket. I don't need your money."

"I know that. Is it wrong of me to want to spoil the people I lo… care about?"

Kate's insides spark at Castle's almost-verbal slip-up. She gulps down the words that want to call him out. "Let's go," Kate says suddenly, turning on her heel toward the loading gate.

The pair is silent once they board the plane. Kate is motionless in her seat, watching the seat belt demonstration with limited interest while Castle seems engrossed in the safety literature like he's never been on a plane before.

After taking off and reaching cruising altitude, Castle breaks the silence, "I'm going to take a nap."

"Okay," Kate says, and Castle turns away from her and closes his eyes.

When she sees that her partner's breathing has evened out, Kate pulls Royce's letter from her purse, smoothing out the damage she accidentally made earlier.

 _It's clear that you and Castle have something real. And you're fighting it. But trust me, putting the job ahead of your heart is a mistake. Risking our hearts is why we're alive. The last thing you want is to look back on your life and wonder if only._

The words haunt her as she slips the folded-up letter in her pocket. Kate looks to her left at her sleeping companion, the man worth risking her heart, the man even Royce knew from just one meeting, was more than a partner. With her heart pounding in her ears, she debates whether to slip her hand in his as he sleeps. Castle snuffles and turns in his sleep, his hand landing in the space between their seats like he was reading her mind, daring her to grab it.

Kate bites back a hopeful smile, not allowing herself to feel the giddiness bubbling inside her at the thought of pursuing something with Castle.

Her fluttering excitement quickly turns to gut-sinking fear when the plane shudders and jerks. The cabin lights flicker, and a brief series of terrifying clunks has Kate grabbing for Castle's hand forgetting her prior trepidation.

Castle startles awake from Kate's sudden vise-like clench around his hand. He lets out a pained squawk while the plane jerks and clunks again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I think something's wrong with the plane."

"You okay?" Castle asks when he notices Kate's wide eyes, his voice still a little rough from sleep.

Kate gives him a hesitant, mechanical-like nod and pushes herself into the back of her seat. She doesn't let go of his hand and Castle doesn't try to stop her.

Moments later a voice over the loudspeaker says, "This is your captain speaking. We are experiencing unexpected engine trouble and will need to make an emergency landing at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Please fasten your seatbelts as we will be landing in 15 minutes."

Castle squeezes Kate's hand when he notices her worrying her lip between her teeth. "It'll be fine," he says when she looks up at him.

She releases a shaky sigh and sinks further into her seat, wishing it would consume her.

"We'll be landing in Vegas, so we can do some gambling before the next flight out."

Kate glares at him. "Who says we'll have time for that?"

"We'll make time. You can't come to Vegas, even if by accident, and not gamble, Beckett."

Castle's persuasive speech on the merits of gambling in Las Vegas distracts her enough that when they touch the ground again, she's surprised.

Once they deplane, Kate seeks out an available ticket counter and inquires about the next available flight to New York.

"I'm sorry, Miss. The next flight available is to JFK tomorrow afternoon," the attendant states.

Kate sighs, "I guess it'll be fine."

Castle stands next to Kate while the tickets are processed, trying to hide his smirk. Kate elbows him in the side when she notices his evident glee at them being stranded in Las Vegas until the following afternoon.

After they receive their tickets, they make their way to baggage claim.

"You ready for some gambling?" Castle asks as they maneuver around people, now not even trying to hide his excitement from her.

"Do I have a choice at this point?"

"You always have a choice, Beckett. I was just hoping you'd choose the fun option."

"Fine. We'll do a little gambling, then I'm going to my hotel room to sleep," Kate insists.

 **A/N: My goal is to post every Thursday, Saturday, and Monday. Thanks for reading!**

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews and follows everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

Their taxi drops them off at the Bellagio and before they try their luck in the casino, they check the availability of hotel rooms. Castle, again, fails to hide his glee when they discover there are no single rooms available but instead several suites.

"We'll take the Penthouse Suite," Castle tells the hotel clerk before Kate can object.

"Castle!"

"We shared a suite in LA, it'll be fine sharing a suite in Las Vegas. Let loose a little, Beckett. Take advantage of our unexpected trip to Las Vegas and let me treat you to some of life's little luxuries."

"A thousand dollar hotel room is not a 'little luxury' to people living on a cop's salary, Castle!" Kate whispers harshly.

"You can pay me back in winnings from the casino if you're really that concerned about it." He waves his hand like he's swatting away her anger then turns to the hotel clerk and takes the proffered key cards while a bellhop grabs their luggage. Kate continues to glare at him as he walks toward the elevator. He turns and sees her still standing near the front desk.

"Come on, Beckett. Live a little!" He flashes her his signature charming smile. She gives him one last hard glare and walks toward him with slightly less contempt.

Castle unlocks the door to their suite and Kate's mouth drops when she sees the extravagance of the room. She thought their suite in Los Angeles was over the top, but their Vegas suite has it beat. She's welcomed by the lights from the strip glowing throughout the suite. She walks down the short hallway to the living area where there is a long L-shaped couch to the right and a six chair dining table to the left. The curtains over the arched windows are open to reveal the stunning sight of the Fountains of the Bellagio. Kate peeks out the window to see a fountain show in progress entertaining a crowd with water, lights, and music. Kate takes her luggage to one of the bedrooms, still trying to wrap her head around how people more wealthy than her can casually spend a thousand dollars on a hotel room for just one night. Castle thanks the bellhop and tips him then drags his luggage to the other bedroom.

While in his room, Castle makes a quick call to Alexis to give her an update on the situation and Kate sends a quick text to Esposito and Ryan about what happened.

"You ready to have some fun?" Castle asks, rubbing his hands together in anticipation as he exits his room.

"The sooner we go the sooner I can come back and sleep," Kate mutters from the couch in the living room where she was waiting for Castle.

They walk down to the casino and make a few obligatory stops at some slot machines with not much luck and have a couple drinks as they walk around. The two stop at a blackjack table and play a couple of rounds before taking their losses and moving to another game.

After finishing up at blackjack, Castle spots the roulette tables and pulls Kate with him to an available space. Castle changes out money with the dealer for roulette chips and decides to place small bets to start. He places a few chips on black before the dealer waves her hands over the board and says, "no more bets." The ball jumps around the wheel, stops on 22 and Castle doubles his bet.

"Not too bad, Castle," Kate says, nudging her elbow into his side.

"Let's see if I can do it again."

Castle places another small bet on the 3rd 12 and when the ball lands on 28, he triples his money.

"Looks like you may have to go riskier if you intend on giving back your winnings," Kate joked.

"Since we are in Vegas, how about if I win this next one, we get married?" Castle suggests.

Kate's smile falters trying to determine if he's kidding around. She deflects with a joke, "how strong were those drinks you had?"

"Come on, Kate, live a little!" Castle exclaims for the second time that evening.

"Castle…" Kate warns.

Castle turns back to the game and places a split bet on 4 and 7 then keeps an eye on Kate when the ball starts bouncing around the wheel.

"7!" calls the dealer.

Kate's eyebrows raise in astonishment. Castle won three times in a row. She looks at him standing next to her and is greeted by a smug grin.

"If I bet straight up and win, will you agree to marry me? It's the highest odds in roulette and I've won three times in a row. Do you want to take my wager? Straight up, 'til death do us part?"

Kate huffed out a nervous laugh. "You aren't going to let this go are you?"

"I'd bet riskier if it meant I could marry you," Castle said with a level of sincerity that made Kate's heart jump.

"Fine." Kate looks him straight in the eye, defiance and hesitant hope mixing with the greens and brown of her eyes. "If you win this next bet, I will agree to marry you."

Castle lights up and places all his chips he started with on the number 3. The dealer waves her hands over the board again and the ball bounces around the wheel. When the ball lands in the 3, both Rick and Kate's eyes practically pop out of their sockets.

Kate bites her lip like it will calm the fluttering in her chest and turns to look at Rick. He struggles to meet her eyes.

Rick collects his winnings and stuffs it into his pockets like it's evidence of a shameful act he doesn't want the world to know. He walks past Kate to a nearby pillar. Kate follows him, watching and waiting for him to look her in the eye.

"So," Kate begins, drawing out the vowel in what she hopes is a playful tone, "I guess this means we are getting married, huh?"

Rick finally takes his eyes off his shoes and Kate is surprised by the remorse and sadness she sees. She frowns in response.

"Kate, I don't want to make you do this if it isn't something you want. Plus you have a boyfriend. I was only making the bet as a joke. I wasn't serious about it and I wasn't seriously expecting to win."

Kate takes in a deep breath before responding. "I don't believe you. Well, I believe that you don't want to force me into anything, but I don't believe that you made that bet as a joke."

Rick sighs. "I guess you got me there. When I marry yo…" Rick stops. "If I were to marry you, I want it to be because it is something you want."

"What if it is?" Kate rasps, barely loud enough for Rick to hear in the buzzing casino.

"What?"

"What if marrying you is what I want? What if _I_ was serious about that bet?"

"Kate…"

Kate grabs his hand. "I don't take risks in my personal life. It's safer to have a mediocre relationship than taking a chance on an extraordinary one, but I want to risk my heart. I want extraordinary, Rick. I want you."

Rick's mouth is agape, as he tries to find his words. He manages to form sounds before asking, "wha…wha…what about Josh though?"

"What about him? I broke up with him over a month ago, before he went on another Doctors Without Borders trip. It was never going to work out because my heart belonged to someone else." Kate raises her eyebrows as if to nudge him toward understanding what she was alluding to her with her final comment.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rick asks in a hurt tone.

"I didn't tell anyone, Rick. Not even Lanie. I didn't know how to bring it up."

"Do you really want this, Kate? Do you really want to marry me?"

Kate bites her lip and nods enthusiastically. "I've come to realize that I don't want to look back on my life and wonder if only. The only thing I can ever see myself regretting is not being with you." Kate pauses and takes a deep breath. "I could survive if I never caught my mom's killer, I would be okay if I didn't become Captain or even if I wasn't a cop anymore, but I would never get over wondering what we could have been if we were braver and more willing to take a risk on each other. I could never get over you, Rick."

"So… we're getting married," Rick says as a dazzling smile grows across his face.

Kate's expression matches her future husband, "I hope so."

Rick's eyes fall on Kate's lips, she does the same for his. Before either of them can think another thought, their lips meld together, arms wrapped around each other and their hearts soaring.

Rick reluctantly pulls back to look Kate in the eyes, her pupils blown to the size of dimes. She smiles at him with the affectionate ease of people who have been a couple for years and not the five minutes that they truly have been together.

"I love kissing you. I could kiss you forever and never have enough," Rick admits.

"If we're getting married, you better plan on kissing me forever, and only me."

"Not even married yet and you are already pulling rank."

"No, more like I do not share when it comes to my _husband_."

"I like the sound of that, me as your husband."

"Me too." Kate pulls him in for another brief kiss then grabs Rick's hand and tugs him toward the entrance. "Let's go find ourselves a chapel."

 **A/N: You all probably saw that coming, but whatever, it's fanfiction and I love me some fluff.**

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**  
 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: My goal is to get the entirety of this fic posted before Christmas and I anticipate there to be 10 chapters total with an epilogue so I'll post additional chapters when I have the chance. I can say that I will not be posting on Tuesdays since that's the day I work late and I don't go on my computer.**

The soon-to-be-married couple walks down the Las Vegas strip holding hands as they search for a wedding chapel.

"There's one!" Rick exclaims, yanking Kate along when he starts to run.

Their spontaneous wedding fills Kate with a child-like joy that has her giggling as she and Castle race toward their future. By the time they are standing at the reception desk, Kate is glowing, her smile alone could rival the lights just outside the chapel.

"Hello, we are here to get married!" Rick exclaims to the woman behind the desk, with a level of enthusiasm one would expect from someone just winning a billion dollar jackpot.

"Do you have a reservation?"

"Uh, no. Do we need one?"

"We don't take walk-ins, I'm afraid. If you'd like we have a couple open times available tomorrow morning," the woman offers.

"Do most of the chapels require a reservation?" Kate asked, her excitement dampened by the hiccup in their plans.

"There are a few places further down the street that take walk-ins, but most of them close at 10 pm. I can book you tomorrow morning if you are still interested though."

Rick pulls Kate a few feet away and asks, "What do you think, Kate?"

Kate bites her lip. She sees the worry in Rick's eyes. "Maybe we could make the appointment and see how we feel in the morning. It wouldn't be a bad thing to sleep on our decision at least a night."

Rick runs his hand through his hair and looks to the floor. "Yeah, I guess you are right. I just don't…" Rick stops.

Kate tries to make eye contact with his avoidant gaze. "You don't what?"

Rick looks up. "I just don't want you to change your mind."

"Rick, I won't. If either of us change our minds, then we shouldn't even be getting married right now, but I'm not going to change my mind. I am certain of that."

Rick smiles softly. "Okay, then let's get married tomorrow."

They make the reservation for their wedding for 9 am the next morning and select one of the wedding packages the chapel offers. In preparation for their morning nuptials, they obtain their marriage license and decide to head back to their hotel.

Except for Rick asking again when their flight leaves, they make no conversation on their walk back. They hold each other's hand, but they remain silent as they ride the elevator and even as they walk down the hall to their suite. It's only when they close the door behind them that Kate lets out a nervous sigh and Rick looks at her, a shy smile gracing his lips.

"So…" Kate peters off, hoping Rick will say something in response.

The awkward tension makes the night feel like the ending of a bad first date and in a way, it is their first date, but they both hope, one that doesn't end badly.

Rick takes a step closer to Kate, wraps his palm around her cheek and gazes into her hazel eyes growing darker by the second. "Can I kiss you right now?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Kate rushes out, crashing her lips against his.

Rick draws her into him and runs his hands up and down her back. Their tongues meet and dance in each other's mouths. Kate has one arm around the base of Rick's neck wanting him impossibly closer while her free hand caresses his cheek. She's about ready to climb him and he senses this, lifting her so her legs wrap around his torso.

"Kate," Rick gasps, "I don't think I can stop this. I don't know if you wanted to wait, but I don't think I can stop."

"Then don't," Kate breathes. "God, don't ever stop, Rick."

It's all the incentive Rick needs to carry her to the closest bed and fall into it with her. The only times they break apart are when they are removing another layer of clothing. They are down to their undergarments when Rick pulls back to look into Kate's eyes. They smile at each other, both of their hearts racing and thrumming with their unspoken love for the other.

"I have wanted this for so long, Kate, and I can't believe we're getting married tomorrow."

Kate lifts her hand to Rick's face and smooths her thumb over the apex of his cheekbone. "I've wanted you for longer than I was ever willing to admit. Thank you for never giving up on me."

"Always," Rick whispers against her lips as they remove the final barriers of their never-truly-platonic partnership.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews and encouragement! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

"That was amazing," Rick says trying to catch his breath.

Kate giggles beside him. "Yeah, it was. We should have done that years ago."

Rick looks over to her and smiles. Kate turns toward him, places one hand on his chest and leans forward to kiss his lips. She pulls away, but Rick quickly yanks her back to him for another kiss. They lie, side by side, with their faces inches away from each other, both grinning like fools.

"Kate," Rick finally says, breaking the trance they were in as they stared into each other's eyes. He props himself up with one arm before continuing, "in case it hasn't been obvious, I am in love you."

Kate buries her face into her pillow to hide the blush creeping onto her cheeks. She looks back at a still-smiling Rick where only his eyes betray his worry. "I love you too, Rick. I wouldn't be marrying you if I wasn't hopelessly in love with you."

His anxious stare transforms into a flirty gaze. "Oh, Soon-To-Be-Mrs. Castle, you sure know how to make a guy swoon."

Kate rolls onto her back, flinging her arm above her head. "God, I almost don't want to go back home. I just want to stay here forever with you."

"Wow, I never would have expected Detective Beckett to be so sappy and romantic."

"Yeah, well, strange things happen when a woman gets properly laid," Kate laughs.

"It's a pleasure to serve you, my dear." Rick makes an exaggerated hand gesture like he is bowing.

"You up for another 'serving' then, Castle?"

Rick hums. "I can be persuaded."

"Good, because I am very good at persuasion," Kate smirks before pulling Rick on top of her and kissing him.

* * *

The alarm on Kate's phone startles her awake. She had the foresight the night before, even despite her love-addled brain, to set the alarm to go off so they would wake up for their wedding. Kate grabs her phone and shuts off the alarm. When she turns to face her future husband, Rick isn't there.

"Castle?" Kate calls out.

There is no response, so Kate gets out of bed, grabs her shirt that Rick tossed on the floor the night before and covers herself up. The suite is silent from inside their bedroom and given that Rick is rarely quiet, she preemptively assumes he isn't even there.

Kate opens the bedroom door and there is no sign of Rick in the living area either. Dropping into the couch, she tries not to worry. Rick wouldn't abandon her on their wedding day. He isn't that kind of a person. Rick wouldn't just disappear for no good reason. He loves her. She loves him.

"He probably just went to get coffee or something. There's no way he would change his mind and just run instead of telling me," Kate said, hoping that speaking the words aloud would make it be true.

Kate gets her phone from the bedroom and pulls up Rick's number to call him. When it goes straight to voicemail, her anxiety spikes again. She falls into the couch again and waits and when her waiting turns to brooding, she makes herself get up to start packing. She hopes it will keep her mind off Rick not being there when she woke up, but as she puts away her clothes, she feels a heavy pressure under eyes. She wishes she could drive away the tears that start to fall from her eyes, but she just wipes them away along with her hope that Rick was only getting coffee.

A mechanical click from the front door startles Kate, but her heart jumps in relief when she spots Rick walking in. She quickly tries to wipe away the evidence of her tears, but her nose is runny and eyes puffy. Rick will know immediately that she's been crying.

"Where were you?" Kate says, trying to make her brittle voice as normal as she can make, but a small hitch in her throat gives her away.

Rick's grin turns to a concerned frown. He sets down the two garment bags and a small gift bag he was holding on the couch and approaches her. "You didn't see my note?" Kate sniffles and shakes her head. Rick pulls her into a hug. "Oh God, Kate. I am so sorry. I'm not changing my mind. I am definitely not changing my mind. I was hoping you would have seen my note; I left it on the nightstand. But I went to pick up some stuff for today."

Kate inhales the scent emanating from his shirt. Her heart calms and she cuddles into him. "What were you getting?" she finally asks, pulling away to look at him.

Rick's grin reemerges and he runs back to get the bags he came back with. "I was picking up a suit for me," he unzips one garment bag and shows off the high-end outfit, "and a dress for you." He then unzips the other bag and shows off a white sleeveless dress with a flowy skirt. "I was also getting this." Rick reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small box.

He looks to Kate and smiles. Her look of shock grows into a smile when Rick pops open the box and kneels in front of her.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, you are the most extraordinary person I have ever met, and I am hopelessly in love with you. Will you do me the honor of marrying me…" Rick takes a quick look at his watch, "…in about an hour?"

Kate starts to cry again, but her tears are no longer from devastation. "Of course I'll marry you." She pulls him to a standing position and kisses him as though her life depends on it. They break apart and Kate says, "I love you."

"I love you too." Rick plucks the ring from its box and slips it on Kate's finger.

"Where did you even get this at six in the morning?"

"They have 24-hour jewelry stores for people spontaneously deciding to get married, just like us. I also got our wedding rings and I had them engraved." Rick grabs another bag from the couch and pulls out the box inside.

He hands the box to Kate and she opens it. The two rings inside are simple, but elegant, both platinum and when Kate looks at the inscription she sees they both say, "KB & RC – Always."

"Castle, they are perfect."

"We should both start getting ready if we are going to be on time to our wedding," Rick announces, handing Kate her dress.

"Yes, we should!" Kate exclaims. "But first, I need to do this." Kate swoops in and plants a kiss on Rick's lips, which he deepens. They reluctantly pull apart and Kate whispers, "I love you," before rushing into the bathroom.

Rick stands in the bedroom doorway trying to unscramble his brain, a dopey grin gracing his lips.

* * *

Kate cracks open the bathroom door and calls out, "Rick, are you ready?"

Rick is adjusting his tie in the mirror over the dresser by the bed. "Just about. I'm dying to see you in that dress, though."

"Okay, well I'm going to come out now. You aren't going to make me a widow before I'm legally your wife, are you?"

"I'll go a happy man if I do." Rick turns toward the bathroom.

Kate opens the door fully and reveals herself. The dress hits just below her knees and dances and flares around her when she does a half twirl.

Rick is speechless. His eyes sparkle like the diamond he just gave Kate and he glows with awe. "Oh my God, Kate. You are stunning. I don't know what to say…you take my breath away."

Kate floats over to stand in front of him. She takes Rick by his lapels and draws him into a kiss. Still stunned, he doesn't reciprocate right away, but when he finally does Kate finds herself moaning.

"We have to stop this if we are going to make it to the chapel fully clothed," Rick states, reluctantly pulling away. "We can finish this after the ceremony though." He smirks.

"Let's go then, lover boy. I have plans for you later," Kate hints and drags him toward the front door.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: There will be a little break before I post the next chapter on Sunday. I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

They practically skip their way to the chapel. They walk through the entrance, their faces beaming with the three years of unspoken attraction and love that had poured from them in the previous twelve hours, and are greeted by a different receptionist than the night before.

"We have a reservation for 9 o'clock under Castle."

"Wonderful!" the receptionist says, "I see you've requested one of our intimate elopement packages. I'll have Nina, one of our wedding consultants, show you where the ceremony will occur and then set you up in one of our dressing rooms."

A petite woman appears almost as though the receptionist had summoned her. She holds out her hand to Kate and Rick and introduces herself as Nina.

After a quick walk by the room where their wedding will be held, Nina takes them to get their flowers. Kate chose a bouquet of pink stargazer lilies accented with blue calla lilies when they had made their reservation, so Nina disappears to collect the prepared bouquet leaving Kate and Rick in a dressing room until it's their turn to get married.

Kate holds a blue calla lily boutonniere that Nina left for them and stands in front of Rick admiring it. "Lilies were my mom's favorite," she says shyly. She looks up at Rick and smiles. "I wish she could have met you. She'd have loved you nearly as much as I do." Kate holds the flower to Rick's lapel to determine the perfect place for it.

"I'm sure I would have too," Rick says as Kate pins the boutonniere to him. He looks down at her hands working the pin. "It's almost like prom, except your dad isn't hovering nearby disappointed that he didn't scare me away."

Kate smooths an imaginary wrinkle in his suit and grins up at him, "well there's still time. We haven't told him about eloping yet."

"Should I be scared?" Rick asks, a hint of fear tingeing his voice.

"If he does scare you off, he'll be the least of your worries once I hunt you down."

"I guess I can't back out then." Rick teases.

Kate smile falters. Her eyes fall back to the flower she pinned to his jacket and without a trace of humor asks, "Are you having any doubts about this? I don't want you to think that you have to marry me now because this crazy idea has gotten us to a chapel in Vegas."

"Kate, us eloping is a crazy idea, but it is something I will never regret. After Alexis, you are the greatest thing to ever happen to me. The only regret I could have today would be if I didn't marry you." Rick palms her cheek forcing her to meet his eyes. "I love you, Kate. Don't ever doubt that."

"I love you too, Rick."

Nina reappears with the bouquet and hands it to Kate. "Are you guys ready?"

Rick holds out an elbow for Kate and asks, "Shall we get married now?"

Kate takes his arm and says, "Definitely."

Given that it is just the two of them, Kate decides to not have a formal bridal walk and instead she and Rick meet at the front of the chapel with the officiant to say their vows.

The officiant is a man named Gordon who is a few years older than Kate's father with a grandfatherly aura that is both calming and light. The older man smiles at the couple in front of him and asks them to start with their vows before he gets to the legality part of the ceremony.

Kate is the first to go. She takes a calming breath before taking Rick's hands and meeting his eyes to say the vows she worked out in her head just hours before.

"Rick, I was never one to believe in love at first sight and I still don't because I really did not like you when we first met, but I do believe in love at second sight. At first sight, you appear to be this rich playboy, but that is not you. At second sight, you reveal who you really are: a man who cares deeply for others, who loves without condition, someone who has my back and who I trust with my life. I love you, Richard Castle, and I'm honored to call you my partner in crime and now my partner in life. I fell in love with you at second sight and I'm grateful every day for being given the chance to see the real you, a man I want to spend the rest of my life with, someone to have a family with and someone who I can count on to be by my side until we are old and gray. I promise to love you, support you and protect you for always because loving you has given me more than I ever thought I deserved." Kate smiles and squeezes his hands as a signal for Rick to say his vows.

"Kate, I could write hundreds of books and still never come close to describing what I feel for you. I never understood magic until I met you, I never felt the power of soulmates until I looked into your eyes and I never believed in true love until I kissed you. The moment I met you, I knew my life would never be the same. You made me want to be a better person and being your partner for the last three years has given my life more meaning. I love you, Katherine Beckett and the mystery of you is one I want to spend the rest of my life exploring."

A single tear slips from Kate's eye and Rick reaches over to wipe it away.

Gordon smiles at Rick and Kate and asks for the rings. "Katherine, place the ring on Richard's finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I pledge my love and faithfulness to you, today, tomorrow and always."

Kate slides the ring onto Rick's finger and repeats the words. Her face is beaming with joy.

"Richard, place the ring on Katherine's finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I pledge my love and faithfulness to you, today, tomorrow and always."

Rick places the ring on Kate's finger and repeats the words too.

"With the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," Gordon announces.

Kate throws her arms around Rick's neck and Rick draws her to him leaving no space between them. For the first time as husband and wife, they kiss. Kate's heart is beating so fast she almost feels dizzy, but her need to continue kissing her husband keeps her from pulling away to catch her breath.

After they break their passionate kiss at the altar, they rest their foreheads together and whisper their love for each other.

They sign their marriage certificate, have a series of staged photos taken and information on how to obtain the pictures once they are home, and are congratulated as they leave the chapel hand in hand.

* * *

To celebrate their marriage, Rick and Kate have a late breakfast at a nearby diner.

"I could have gotten us into that five-star restaurant if you wanted," Rick says as they sit next to each other in a red vinyl booth, him with his arm draped over her shoulders.

"I like it here. It kind of reminds me of our first not-date at Remy's last year," Kate admits, looking from her menu to smile up at him. She gives him a quick kiss before returning to peruse the menu.

They both have perpetual grins on their faces through the entire meal. They pay and decide to walk the strip for a little while before heading back to their hotel to pack so they can make their flight.

When they arrive back to their room, Kate falls back onto their bed and watches Rick shuffle around the room.

"Hey, Babe, come over here," she calls, her arm lazily motioning for him to join her on the bed.

Rick stops what he is doing and grins, "did you just call me Babe?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

"Nope," Rick says as plops onto his stomach beside Kate and turns onto his side to face her.

Kate reaches over, swipes her fingers against his cheek and says, "I can't believe we are married."

Rick gazes down at her then leans over and brushes his lips against the corner of her mouth.

"You missed," Kate says cheekily before yanking Rick back to her to kiss him properly. She positions herself and flips him onto his back and then straddles him as she starts to unbutton his shirt and remove his tie. Rick reaches behind Kate to slide the zipper of her dress down to rid her of her clothing too.

 **A/N: I don't write smut, sorry. I know I'd write it really poorly, so I don't even try.**

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33  
Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I lied and said I was going to post this on Sunday, but I'm posting it late on Saturday because I finally finished the epilogue, which was my main reason for delaying my updates. Now that it is finished though, you should expect daily postings (except on Tuesday since I will still be working late that day). I figured you all would forgive me for that though.**

Half an hour later Kate is lying on top of Rick nuzzling her nose into his neck as they both catch their breath.

"I really could stay in bed with you forever," Kate sighs.

"I see marriage hasn't taken away that sappy side I got a glimpse of earlier."

"It hasn't even been three hours. Thirty years from now might be a different story." Kate maneuvered herself to be eye-level with Rick while still mostly lying on him. "How do you think everyone is going to react to this?"

"Other than shocked? I'm sure they'll be happy for us. How do we want to bring it up?"

"I was hoping to keep it to ourselves for a little while, well except for Alexis and our parents. They should know as soon as we see them again, but everyone else… I feel like telling them now that we eloped would be too much all at once for us to deal with. I mean we are newlyweds, but we've also technically only been in a relationship for one day...and saying that out loud makes me realize how absurd this whole situation is." Kate buries a laugh into a pillow.

"To an outsider, this is probably absurd, but I knew the moment I met you that you were going to change my life. I'm just glad that we ended up here instead of you murdering me and making it look like an accident, which I'm sure you thought about in the early days of our partnership."

Kate hums in agreement. "I may have."

Rick gasps in mock outrage. "We're married now, you have to tell me this plan of yours."

"I do not. Revealing my plans to murder Rick Castle was not part of the marriage vows." Kate admonishes.

"Plans, as in plural? As in you had more than one plan to kill me?"

"I….plead the fifth," Kate draws out.

One of their phones on the nightstand rings pulling their attention away from each other. Rick reaches over and grabs it and glances at the screen.

"Why is Doctor Motorcycle Boy calling you?"

"What?" Kate stiffens at the mention of her ex-boyfriend and grabs the phone from her husband. "Dammit, Josh," Kate mumbles before declining the call and jumping out of the bed with a sheet clutched around her. She moves quickly toward the living area.

Rick sits up at her quick departure. "I thought you broke up with him?"

Kate turns back before reaching the couch. "I did Rick. I promise you, I did. Weeks ago. He probably just got back from his Doctors Without Borders and wanted to reconnect. I'm just going to text him to stop trying to call me."

Rick gets out of the bed, grabbing his boxers along the way and follows Kate. "Why did you run just now?"

She sighs. "I don't know, Castle. I panicked. I thought you wouldn't believe me and it felt...weird if I texted my ex while I was in bed with my husband." Kate's shoulders sag as she falls into the couch. Rick drops down beside her after managing to awkwardly stumble into his boxers on the short trip to the couch. "Josh always suspected me of cheating on him with you and in a way, I guess he was right. I was never emotionally committed to that relationship because I was in love with you. He would get upset anytime I texted you when we were together." Rick grabs Kate's hand and gives it a squeeze. "He didn't trust me and I didn't trust him either. I didn't see that ever changing, so I broke things off. I guess," Kate waves her phone in the air, "he has a different opinion."

"Kate, I trust you, please know that. I was just...surprised by your response to his phone call and didn't know what to think, but I do trust you."

Kate looks up at him. "I just didn't want you to think that I'm not 100% in this marriage."

Rick smiles and leans down to brush his lips against Kate's forehead. "I know you are because Kate Beckett does not half-ass anything, including, and I hope especially, marriage to a notorious, in name only, playboy mystery writer."

Kate sighs and leans into him then wraps her arms around his torso.

"And as much as I hate being the responsible one," Rick reluctantly murmurs into Kate's hair, "we do have to get ready so we can make our flight, Mrs. Castle."

Kate groans. "I suppose you are right. We'll have to go back to real life at some point."

Three years ago, Kate never would have guessed she'd be sitting in a first class seat holding the hand of Richard Castle, running her thumb over his wedding ring that she placed there only hours before. After losing her mom, the idea of finding a person she wanted to spend her life with was unimportant. Her mission in life was to find her mother's killer and every boyfriend she had ended up being a distraction from her goal. It wasn't until several months after meeting Richard Castle did she realize she could find the person who took away her mom and still have someone she trusted to stand by her. She was reluctant to admit that Rick played that role in her life but he proved time and time again he would always have her back. For the first time in her life, imagining a future with someone didn't scare her. A future with Rick excited her, it made her feel whole.

"When we get back, will it be your place or mine?" Rick asks.

"Would you mind terribly if it was my place? I don't think I'm quite ready for an interrogation from my stepdaughter and mother-in-law who don't yet know of their new titles."

Rick smiles. "Not at all. I'll just need to stop by the loft to check in with Alexis and my mother and then I can head back to your place if that's okay."

"Sounds perfect. It'll give me a chance to take care of a few chores before you arrive."

"Do you work tomorrow?"

"No, but I'm stopping by in the afternoon to talk with Montgomery about the reprimand I'll be facing with our little rogue trip to L.A."

"Oooh, so we can spend all morning in bed?"

"Maybe some of it," Kate smirks, "but I was hoping you'd come to Sunday brunch with me and my dad and we could tell him the news." Kate sees the hesitance in Rick's eyes, but her face brightens suddenly, "I just had an idea! Why not kill three birds with one stone and have Alexis and Martha come too and we can tell them all at once?"

"You want to make it worse by pitting three birds against us instead of one or two?"

Kate glares him, "it won't be that bad, Castle."

Rick sighs. "It's at a busy restaurant where none of them can easily kill _us_ with stones, right?"

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Considering I've been working on this fic for several months and finished it a couple weeks ago, I'm happy that a lot of the reviews people have left about what they hope to see in the fic are things I actually did include in later chapters.**

After landing back in New York, Kate and Rick catch a cab and head toward Kate's apartment. When they arrive, Rick tells the cabbie he'll be back in just a second, then gets out and helps Kate with her luggage. Standing on the sidewalk outside her building, Rick draws Kate into his arms and kisses her like he's isn't going to see her for 6 months. Kate flushes with a passion only Castle stirs in her and wraps her arms around him. They pull apart and rest their foreheads against the other's, grinning between heavy breaths.

"Okay, I will be back in like an hour because I don't know if I can go any longer without seeing you again," Rick says.

"You are so cheesy," Kate admonishes like it didn't make her insides flutter.

Rick kisses her again before finally pulling away. "I love you. See you soon."

"I love you too, Babe."

Rick beams at the pet name and finally jumps back into the cab.

Kate floats to the elevator, her thoughts drifting to all things Castle and she finds herself standing in front of her apartment with no recollection of her journey to the eighth floor. She unlocks and opens her door, pulling her suitcase behind her. She drops her keys into a bowl by the entrance, slips off her shoes and heads toward her bedroom. She throws her dirty clothes from the trip in the hamper, places her toiletries in the bathroom and sets her suitcase off to the side to deal with the rest later. She wanted some time before Rick came over to clean up her apartment and create some ambiance with candles and music, then she planned to slip into her favorite silk robe and wait for her husband.

After tidying up, reapplying her makeup, setting out the candles, and changing into a lingerie set she never had the opportunity to wear for someone, there is a knock at her door. She glances at a clock to see it's barely been forty-five minutes since Rick left. She doesn't even care that she hasn't lit the candles or put on music yet because she just wants to see him. She rushes from her bedroom, grabbing her robe along the way and hastily puts it on before she swings open the front door with the words, "couldn't stay away, could you?" falling out of her mouth.

"Uh, hi," the man gives an awkward wave.

"Josh? What are you doing here?"

* * *

Castle arrives at his loft fifteen minutes after dropping off Kate. The ride was spent thinking of ways to explain why he was only stopping by before leaving again and also how to bring up the invitation for brunch the next morning without giving anything away. It turns out his brainstorming was for naught because according to a note left by his mother, she was at a party and Alexis was sleeping over at a friend's house. Not having his family home means he can get back to Kate's place even sooner than he expected. He'll leave a note for them to see in the morning, but he'll also text them about the brunch invitation, omitting any information of the two extra guests.

He packs up a small overnight bag to bring back to Kate's then heads out the door. He wants to make a quick stop at a florist to pick up lilies like the ones in Kate's wedding bouquet and then a nice bottle of wine.

Once he arrives at Kate's building he takes the elevator to the eighth floor. His body tingles with excitement as the elevator announces its arrival.

* * *

"Josh, what are you doing here?"

"I thought you'd be excited to see me," he says. "I just got back from Mali and I was hoping we could talk."

Kate sighs. "We broke up over a month ago. What could there possibly be for us to talk about?" She crosses her arms and leans against the door jamb, creating a roadblock to keep Josh from her apartment.

"I think breaking up was a mistake, Kate. I want to get back together."

"Well, I do not. I've moved on, Josh."  
Josh deflates at Kate's words, but his gaze lands on the sparkling ring adorning his ex-girlfriend's ring finger.

"You got engaged?!" he exclaims. Kate's surprised her neighbors don't check out the commotion.

"Actually, I got married."

"Married?! Kate, we broke up a month ago! How could you have married someone already?" Josh yells, arms flailing out in exasperation. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots someone walking toward him and he groans. "It doesn't look like your little shadow got the message of your marriage either."  
Kate follows Josh's glare down the hallway where her husband walks toward them. Rick slows his stride and approaches more cautiously at the angry energy flaring from Josh.

Pressing his lucky, Rick can't help but get a jab at the man acting like a love-scorned teenager in the hallway. "Well, who do you think she married?"

Josh whips his head to Kate, "you married this asshole? You chose to marry a womanizing, two-bit writer?"

Rick's smirk only makes Josh angrier. Rick should have seen it coming, but he soon finds himself propped against the wall after being punched in the face by the irate doctor, now stalking down the hall toward the elevator. The flowers he brought for Kate and the bottle of wine, lay, miraculously, unharmed nearby.

Kate is kneeling by her husband, inspecting the shiner that is already appearing around Rick's eye.

"Babe, are you okay?"

"A black eye will make me look so manly, don't you think?" Rick grins, then laughs when Kate scoffs.

"You are such an idiot, Castle."

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot now."

"I guess you are." Kate rolls her eyes but fails to hide her amusement. "Let's get you inside and put some ice on that. Then we'll numb the pain with some alcohol," Kate holds up the bottle of wine and grabs the flowers too before helping Rick to his feet.

Rick follows Kate into her apartment and takes a seat on the couch.

"What did you ever see in him?"

Kate is in the kitchen putting ice cubes in a bag and grabs a small towel before walking over to Rick. "Honestly? He wasn't you." She takes a seat next to him and holds the wrapped ice to his eye.

"What?" Rick contorted his face in hurt surprise.

"You heard me. He wasn't you." Kate looks him in his one good eye and smiles. "I knew going into the relationship with Josh that there wasn't a chance he could break my heart. He can't break something he'd never have. You, on the other hand, have both my heart and the ability to break it, but I trust that you won't."

"I hope to God I never do." Rick wraps his hand around the hand Kate uses to keep the ice against his eye.

"You want to take over with this, while I pour us some wine?"

"Why don't we skip the wine and go to bed?" Rick waggles his eyebrows.

"Or we could do that…"

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for the comments and follows everyone! I hope you all like the few remaining chapters!**

Rick wakes up the next morning to a series of chimes from his text message alert. His phone sits on the nightstand beside him, but Kate is essentially wrapped around his torso, keeping him immobilized to the middle of the bed, out of reach of his phone. While he loves the idea of staying in bed with his wife, he needs to know if his mother and Alexis are coming to brunch later. He tries to move his phone closer with telekinesis, but the phone stays where it is.

"Why does that never work?" he grumbles.

Kate snuffles awake and mumbles, "what never works?"

"Nevermind."

"What time is it?"

"Uhh, it looks like it's 7:30. What are you wanting to leave for the restaurant?"

Kate rolls onto her back, releasing Rick from her restraint, and rubs the sleep from her eyes. "I'd like to get there a little before everyone, so 11 is probably good." Kate pushes herself into a sitting position and runs her fingers through her tangled hair. "Are Alexis and Martha coming?"

"I don't know. I was just going to check my phone." Rick is finally able to grab his phone and sees several texts from a few different people, two of which happen to be his daughter and mother.

"They both say they will be there," Rick confirms.

"Good, now we have some time to figure out a way to tell them."

"Why can't we just say, 'Hey guys, we got married!'? Because that would free up a lot of time this morning that we could be spending doing _other_ married-people things."

Kate snorts out a laugh, "Wow, you are insatiable."

"Only for you, honey, only for you."

"What are we going to say to explain your black eye?"

Rick pauses to think for a moment. "We could just tell them the truth because knowing my mother, she wouldn't believe it anyway and will assume I walked into a door or something."

"That is more believable when it comes to you," Kate agrees with a playful smirk.

"Ha. Ha."

Kate smacks Rick on the thigh before climbing out of bed. "Come on, Babe. We've got things to do before brunch," she calls as she leaves the bedroom for the kitchen.

"I thought I was doing you!" Rick bellows to his retreating wife.

* * *

Much to Rick's chagrin, he is unable to charm Kate back to bed. Instead, Kate drags him along to pick out a few consolation gifts for their family as a preemptive apology for excluding them from the wedding. With their three gift bags, they walk to the restaurant together and arrive early as planned.

As she predicted, Kate's dad is the first of the group to arrive. Jim Beckett is just as punctual as his daughter. He spots Kate with her writer shadow sitting at a table near the window. Kate grins when her dad approaches the table and she stands to give him a hug.

"How are you, Katie? I wasn't expecting a guest to join us today," Jim says, extending his hand to Rick.

Rick stands to shake hands and says, "Hi, Mr. Beckett. Nice to see you again."

"Please call me Jim." Jim takes a seat at the table and notices the two empty chairs beside him. "Are we expecting more people?"

"Yes, Castle's mother and daughter are coming too."

"Uh huh," Jim says with a knowing smile.

"And there they are," Rick announces, standing again to greet his girls.

"Richard, what happened to your eye?" Martha declares. "Were you playing around with that marshmallow cannon again?"

"That was one time, Mother," Rick scoffs.

"I think it was more like three times, Dad."

"Et tu, Alexis?" Rick gives his daughter a hug before inviting the two redheads to take a seat.

"Hello, Katherine, I wasn't expecting you to be here too. I take it this is your father?" Martha asks gesturing to Jim.

"Hi, Martha," Kate stands to give Martha a friendly kiss on the cheek, "and yes this is my dad, Jim Beckett."

"Pleasure to meet you," Martha says, then turns and puts her hands on Alexis's shoulders, "and this is my wonderful and awe-inspiring granddaughter, Alexis."

"Gram…" Alexis admonishes, before taking Jim's hand in greeting. "Hello, Mr. Beckett."

Kate looks over to Rick and gives him a hopeful smile, then Rick asks everyone to have a seat.

"So what brings all of us here today?" Martha asks, cutting right to the chase.

Rick and Kate look at each other, giving their family a big hint by the way they smile at each other.

"You know how we went to L.A. for a case a few days ago and then our flight back got detoured in Las Vegas? As crazy as it sounds, we actually decided to get married while we were there," Rick lets out a nervous chuckle. Kate is squeezing his hand beneath the table, which is the only obvious evidence of her anxiety given the shy but elated grin she is presenting to their families.

Martha, Alexis, and Jim all stare at the couple, not believing what they have just been told.

"I'm sorry, you what?" Alexis asks.

"Umm, we got married…to each other, if that wasn't obvious."  
Kate jumps in, "I know this is very sudden especially since we weren't even dating, but," Kate places her free hand over Alexis's, "Alexis, I love your dad. He means everything to me and while the wedding was a spur-of-the-moment thing, I want to assure you that we are both committed to each other and we are taking this very seriously."

"I believe you. This is just a lot to take in," Alexis says.

"Are you happy, Katie?" Jim asks.

Kate's face lights up. "More than I have ever been."

"I may not understand the urgency of getting married, but if you're happy, that's everything a dad can hope for for his daughter."

"Thank you, Dad."

"So how did it all happen?" Alexis asks.

"I made a side-bet with her at the roulette table," Rick begins, his face reddening when he gets a quick and scrutinizing look from his daughter, "she would agree to marry me if I won straight-up...and I won...and we got married." Rick grimaces, waiting for Alexis to voice her inevitable displeasure.

"Seriously?" Alexis asks, convinced her dad is making it up.

"Yes, seriously. Well, sort of," Kate adds. "He was actually disappointed when he won because he didn't want to make me feel forced into marrying him because of a bet. He didn't realize how much I actually did want to marry him or that I was in love with him." Kate glances at Rick beside her and matches his loving gaze with her own and continues telling the story while only looking at him. "We intended on getting married that night, but apparently you need reservations to get married at most places there, so we set one up for yesterday morning and now, here we are, married."

A heavy silence settles over the group before Martha adds, "well, that'll be a fascinating story for the grandkids."

"Mother," Rick admonishes, breaking his gaze with Kate to glare at Martha.

Kate stares down at her lap, her face reddening at the mention of children. She and Rick hadn't discussed it, other than the brief discussion before they left L.A., but the idea, and the now probable reality, of being the mother to his children, frightens her but leaves a bubble of hope in her chest that she hadn't felt since before her mother died. Rick gives her things she thought she'd never have again after losing her mother. She found happiness in him, of course, but also a family. She and her dad now have Rick, Alexis and Martha and their presence in their lives fills in part of the hole her mother left behind. It will never be completely full because Johanna is still gone, but it feels smaller and less gaping with their new family. The diminishing black hole has less power to swallow Kate in her need for justice. She has more reason to fight for the life she wants rather than for the life she lost. It's what Johanna Beckett would want most for her daughter and Richard Castle was the person who could fill that role.

"Will Katherine be moving into the loft?" Martha asks.

"Uhh…" Rick looks back to Kate with wide eyes. They hadn't discussed their living arrangements and he didn't want to assume Kate would just move to the loft, even if Martha and Alexis weren't in the picture, but it seems the most logical choice in his opinion. "We hadn't discussed it, but…"

Kate jumps in, "I will be moving in at some point. We haven't talked about when, but soon, I imagine." She looks at Rick for a confirmation, who nods in response. "Also, we don't want to tell anyone else quite yet that we are married, especially at the precinct, so we would appreciate it if this was kept between family until we are ready to announce it."

Their new family sit in silence again, processing the startling change, before Alexis breaks the awkward tension, "Dad's never brought me back a stepmother as a souvenir, so that's a first." She shrugs and then smirks at Rick.

Rick bursts into laughter, followed by Martha and Jim.

Kate shakes her head but can't help the smile that graces her lips. "It better be the last time, as far as I'm concerned," Kate adds and clasps her hand over the hand Rick has resting on the table.

Rick smiles at her and brings her hand to his lips and kisses her wedding ring.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and follows everyone! I have my work Festivus party tomorrow so I'm excited about that. My library is well-known for the infamous Festivus party. :-P I hope you like this chapter. Lanie is in it. :-)**

After brunch, Rick walks with Kate to the precinct, holding hands up until they are a block from Kate's destination where they agreed to part ways as to not bring up suspicion. Kate pulls Rick aside and kisses him.

"Okay, Babe, I'll see you at my place later?" Rick nods in response. "Wish me luck, hopefully, I still have a job after this."

"You don't need a job now that you are married to me."

Kate raises an eyebrow at him, "Seriously? You expect me to be your trophy wife now?"

"No, not at all! I'm just saying you have the option if you should choose to accept it, to be my trophy wife."

Kate snorts out a laugh and smacks him in the chest. "I love you and I'll see you later." Kate swoops in and kisses him one last time.

"Good luck!" Rick calls as Kate walks away.

* * *

Kate walks into the precinct and spots Esposito and Ryan plugging away at some work at their respective desks.

"Hey, boys, what are you working on?"

Espo looks up at the sound of Kate's greeting. "Hey, boss! Are you here for your sentencing?"

"How mad is Montgomery?" she asks with hesitance.

Ryan has since gotten up from his desk to join the conversation. "He's calmed down a bit. I think you being delayed another day helped, so you lucked out with that plane issue," Ryan adds.

Kate bites her lip to stop from smiling about her and Castle's secret. "Yeah, I guess I did luck out. I should go face the firing squad now though. Get it over and done with."

Kate left her team to their work and knocks on Montgomery's door. Montgomery waves her in and she has a seat in front of his desk.

"Good afternoon, sir." Kate greets.

"Beckett, you know why you are here," he starts, getting right down to business. "You are one of my best detectives, but I can't have you disobeying my orders and going on rogue missions where you do not have legal jurisdiction."

"I understand, sir."

"Seeing as you did solve the case, I'm going to be more lenient than I should and uphold my original suspension which would end tomorrow. I expect to see you here in the morning. You understand?"

"Yes, sir," Kate states, the corners of her mouth lifting.

"All right, you are dismissed. Tell your writer he is allowed back tomorrow too." Montgomery gestures for her to leave.

"Thank you, Captain. I will let Castle know as well."

Espo calls for Kate when she leaves Montgomery's office. "What's the verdict?"

"I'll be back tomorrow to catch up on all the work you guys didn't do," Kate teases.

"Psh, for that I'll be sure to leave an extra large serving of paperwork for you to do as a welcome back gift," Espo threatens.

Kate's phone chimes with an incoming text. She checks it, expecting it to be Castle, but finds it is Lanie telling her to stop by when she has a chance.

"I've gotta go. Your girlfriend has summoned me, but I'll see you both tomorrow," Kate says, sending off a quick response to Lanie as she exits towards the elevator.

* * *

Kate arrives at the morgue fifteen minutes later and is greeted by her best friend, who sits in her office eating lunch.

"Hey, girl! How are you doing?"

Kate grins as she swoops in and takes a seat across from Lanie at her desk. "I'm doing okay. How have things been around here?"

Lanie gives Kate a scrutinizing glare. "There's something different about you. I can't put my finger on what it is, but there is definitely something different."

"I don't know how there could be something different with me. I'm the same as when you last saw me."

"No, when I last saw you, you were standing over the body of your former training officer. You were definitely not as...I don't even know what you are right now. Happy? Light? All I am saying is when I last saw you, you were devastated, now you look so far from devastated, you seem almost giddy."

Kate throws her hands in the air in an exaggerated shrug. "I don't know what to tell you, Lanie."

Lanie's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets when something on Kate's finger catches the light. "You can start by telling me what that is on your ring finger!" Lanie jumps from her chair and moves around the desk to grab Kate's left hand. "What is this?"

Kate's heart stutters. She panics and doesn't know what to say. "It's a...ring?" she says dumbly.

"Katherine Beckett did you and Josh get married?" Lanie practically shouts. Kate isn't sure if it's out of anger or reluctant and false support.

"What? Lanie, no…" Kate tries to explain.

"Are you insane, Kate? You got married behind everyone's backs? Does Castle know about this? Because that boy is hopelessly in love with you and finding out you secretly married someone else will break his heart." Lanie reprimands.

Kate hangs her head in an attempt to hide her smirk. She's almost tempted to let Lanie keep thinking she married Josh. Kate finally grabs Lanie's hands between hers and calmly repeats her friend's name until Lanie focuses on Kate again. "Lanie, I did not marry Josh," she assures.

"Well, then what in the hell is this?" Lanie holds up Kate's hand again.

"Lanie, we didn't want to tell people quite yet, but while I was in Las Vegas, I did not marry Josh." Kate pauses for dramatic effect. "I married Castle."

Lanie's jaw drops. "Katherine Beckett you are messing with me now."

Kate smiles wide and shakes her head. "I am not messing with you. Castle and I got married when we were in Vegas."

"I don't believe you."

"No, we really did. See!" Kate pulls off her rings and shows Lanie the inscription. "It was spur of the moment, but Lanie, I love him so much and it was perfect for us."

Lanie still has her mouth agape trying to grasp all the information Kate has thrown at her. "Girl, you are married? I am so happy for you!" Lanie pulls Kate into a bear hug. "I'm also so glad it is Castle and not Josh," she says into Kate's ear.

Kate laughs, "me too, Lanie."

Lanie pulls away to begin her interrogation. "How did this happen? How long have you been hiding your relationship from everyone?"

Kate bites her lip. "Umm, we were never dating and it started as a bet at the roulette table…"

"I'm going to need a lot more details now," Lanie announces, pulling over her chair to sit next to Kate.

Kate spends the next half an hour regaling the story of her and RIck's very brief courtship and subsequent wedding.

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Surprisingly, this is the last chapter. I took some creative license and adjusted the timeline between the final episodes of season 3 since it fit my story better. Keep in mind there is an epilogue that will follow tomorrow and that should wrap up some things, I think.**

On the day that marks three months of marriage, Captain Montgomery is killed. Kate and her team find out he had played an indirect part in the death of Johanna Beckett and in an airplane hangar he sacrifices himself to save Kate. That night, Kate cries herself to sleep wrapped in the embrace of her husband in the bed that she now considers theirs.

* * *

It took a few weeks for Kate to move her important possessions into the loft and she still has an active lease on her apartment so she isn't in any hurry. The death of Montgomery gives the couple a new view on life, so they decide to officially announce their marriage when their grief isn't as raw.

Rick and Kate get ready for the funeral at Kate's place since that is where her dress blues still are. Kate stands in front of a mirror and fixes up her hair into a bun and slips on her white gloves.

Rick sits on Kate's bed, putting on his tie when he looks over to his wife and says, "It almost feels wrong to say how hot I find you in your uniform." He smiles innocently at her when she turns her head to glare at him.

"I'm hoping you won't see me in this uniform again for a long time." Kate finishes getting ready then turns to stand in front of Rick and fixes his tie after he messes it up again.

When Kate slides the knot to his throat, Rick wraps a hand around her wrist to get her attention. She gives him a somber stare.

"Are you doing okay, Kate?"

Kate bites her lip to fight back the tears. "Rick…" she breathes out and Rick pulls her into his lap so she is straddling him and hugs her tight. She wraps her arms around him and weeps into his shoulder. "I love you so much, Rick. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"Oh sweetheart, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Kate lifts her head from Rick's shoulder to look him in the eye. "There's something I need to tell you, but I want to wait until after the funeral. I need to focus my energy on dealing with this before I can think about anything else."

Rick nods, then sees Kate's tears and pulls a small packet of tissues from his pocket. "Here. I came prepared. Like a boy scout."

Kate chuckles. "You were never a boy scout."

Rick smirks and wipes away the tears from Kate's cheeks.

* * *

Standing at the podium, giving the eulogy of her mentor, Kate looks to her right and sees her husband standing with her. She knows he will always stand with her, even before they said their vows, she knew he would always be there for her. As she reads her speech, not truly comprehending what she is saying with her mind on other things, she hears Rick shout her name and a second later he is on top of her. A cacophony of screams surround her and Rick slumps against her then falls into the grass beside her.

Her mind is buzzing, trying to make sense of what is happening. She sits up and sees her husband lying next to her with labored breathing and his face pinched in pain.

She screams his name. A dark splotch begins to grow by his right shoulder and on instinct, she presses her hands against his bleeding wound.

Rick looks up at her and tries to say something, but can only make his mouth move and not make a sound.

"Rick, baby... Oh baby, please stay with me! Please stay with me!" Kate shouts. Tears streak her face and blur her vision, but she dares not remove her hands from Rick's shoulder to wipe away the moisture. "Rick, I love you," Kate says more quietly, leaning in closer to his face. "I need you to stay with me, Rick." She pauses and takes in a shuddery breath. "I'm pregnant, Rick, and I can't do this without you. I need you to stay with me."

Rick is able to fight through the pain to whisper four final words before he passes out. "I love you, Kate."

 **A/N: Don't hate me, please. Just wait for the epilogue.**

 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**  
 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**


	11. Epilogue

**A/N: I appreciate everyone who has read, reviewed, and followed this story. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope this epilogue lives up to expectations. When I initially started writing this fic, I had it originally following canon in that Kate got shot, but as I got closer to the ending, it took a different turn. I hope to write some more fics soon, but I'm focusing on some memoir writing at the moment.**

Four weeks before her due date, Kate stands in front of her mother's grave holding a single white calla lily. It has been thirteen years since she last saw her mother's smile. Thirteen years without her guidance and love. There isn't a day that goes by where Kate doesn't miss Johanna.

"Hey, Mom," Kate greets like she's just stopping by for dinner. "I wish you were here. A lot has happened since last year. I got married for one," Kate lets out a laugh, then wipes away the tears that have been ever-present on this January day. "I also am pregnant. I wish you could meet your granddaughter. We are naming her Lily Johanna after you. Rick suggested we could use Johanna as the first name, but I didn't know if dad or I could think of that name as anyone else's but yours. Rick is my husband by the way and also your favorite writer. He's giving me a few minutes alone with you and then he'll be over."

She looks in the direction of where Rick is waiting with the car. I don't know what I did to deserve him, but being married to him and expecting a baby with him in just a few weeks is...it's more than I ever could have hoped for.

"Rick jumped in front of a sniper bullet last year to save me. It was connected to your case. He was shot in the shoulder and wasn't injured as badly as he could have been, but it was the wakeup call I needed. You would not want me to give my life to avenge your murder and Rick and Alexis and Martha and Lily are my newest reasons to not let your case consume my life. I have a reason to live my life that doesn't revolve around having lost you."

Kate stops when she hears footsteps in the snow behind her and she looks to see Rick making his way to her. He has his hands in his coat pockets and a quiet smile on his face. Kate smiles back at him then addresses her mother again, "My reason now is to try and be as wonderful a mother as you were to me."

Rick stands next to Kate and takes one of her gloved hands in his and gives it a squeeze. "How are you doing?" he asks.

"I'm just telling my mom how you won my hand in marriage in a game of roulette then knocked me up a few weeks later."

"Wow…thanks for tainting my first impression. Future family get-togethers are bound to be awkward from now on."

Kate smirks. "I was just telling her how lucky I am to have you in my life and how happy I am." Kate bumps her hip against Rick's then lays her head against his shoulder. Rick takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around his wife's back and draw her closer to him.

"You are the luckiest bet of my life, Katherine Beckett, and I can't wait to see where we go from here."

 **Twitter: AlyssaWriting**  
 **Tumblr: MonaLyssa33**


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